Local protein synthesis is a ubiquitous feature of neuronal pre- and postsynaptic compartmentsThere is ample evidence for localization of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and protein synthesis in neuronal dendrites; however, demonstrations of these processes in presynaptic terminals are limited. We used expansion microscopy to resolve pre- and postsynaptic compartments in rodent neurons. Most presynaptic terminals in the hippocampus and forebrain contained mRNA and ribosomes. We sorted fluorescently labeled mouse brain synaptosomes and then sequenced hundreds of mRNA species present within excitatory boutons. After brief metabolic labeling,>30% of all presynaptic terminals exhibited a signal, providing evidence for ongoin...Source: ScienceNOW - May 16, 2019 Category: Science Authors: Hafner, A.-S., Donlin-Asp, P. G., Leitch, B., Herzog, E., Schuman, E. M. Tags: Cell Biology, Neuroscience, Online Only r-articles Source Type: news

Researchers identify new therapeutic target for metastatic prostate cancer(Rockefeller University Press) Researchers in New York have found that treating human prostate cancer cells with a drug that targets a protein called PHLPP2 may prevent the cancer cells from spreading to other organs in the body. The study, which will be published May 15 in the Journal of Cell Biology, reveals that inhibiting PHLPP2 lowered the levels of MYC, an oncogenic protein that causes many different types of cancer that cannot be targeted by conventional drug therapies. (Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer)Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer - May 15, 2019 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news

Rice blast fungus study sheds new light on virulence mechanisms of plant pathogenic fungi(American Phytopathological Society) A group of scientists at Nanjing Agricultural University and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center examined the fungal cell biology of rice blast fungus pathogenesis and recently published the first systematic and comprehensive report on the molecular mechanism of the actin-binding protein (MoAbp1) that plays a crucial role in the pathogenicity of the fungus. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - May 14, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: news

Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D., Elected to the National Academy of SciencesMay 1, 2019—(BRONX, NY)—Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D., cell biologist and internationally recognized expert on the cellular process autophagy, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Dr. Cuervo is professor of developmental and molecular biology, of anatomy and structural biology, and of medicine, co-director of the Institute for Aging Research, and holds the Robert and Renée Belfer Chair for the Study of Neurodegenerative Diseases at Einstein. (Source: Einstein News)Source: Einstein News - May 1, 2019 Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news

Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D., elected to the National Academy of Sciences(Albert Einstein College of Medicine) Ana Maria Cuervo, M.D., Ph.D., cell biologist and internationally recognized expert on the cellular process autophagy, has been elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). Dr. Cuervo is professor of developmental and molecular biology, of anatomy and structural biology, and of medicine, co-director of the Institute for Aging Research, and holds the Robert and Ren é e Belfer Chair for the Study of Neurodegenerative Diseases at Einstein. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - May 1, 2019 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

UCLA microbiologist Patricia J. Johnson elected to National Academy of SciencesPatricia J. Johnson, UCLA professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in recognition of her “distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.”Membership in the academy is one of the highest honors that a U.S. scientist can receive. Its members have included Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Orville Wright and Alexander Graham Bell. The academy today announced the election of 100 new members and 25 foreign associates.“I am very honored to be include among the ranks of such distinguished scientists,” said Johnson, who has a...Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - May 1, 2019 Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news

Structure and degradation of circular RNAs regulate PKR activation in innate immunity(Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters) In a study published in Cell, a team led by Dr. CHEN Lingling at the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Dr. YANG Li at the CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology discovered that most examined circRNAs tend to form 16-26 bp intramolecularly imperfect RNA duplexes. In addition, circRNAs preferentially bind to dsRNA-activated protein kinase (PKR) which is related to innate immunity and act as PKR inhibitors. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - April 25, 2019 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news

2019 BioLegend William E. Paul Award for Excellence in Cytokine Research(International Cytokine& Interferon Society) The ICIS has chosen Chen Dong, PhD as the recipient of the 2019 BioLegend William E Paul Award for Excellence in Cytokine Research in recognition of his transformative research in immunology, including ground-breaking discoveries in the field of T cell biology and IL-17 family cytokines. Dr. Dong's research focuses on molecular mechanisms whereby immune and inflammatory responses are normally regulated, applying this to the understanding and treatment of autoimmunity, allergy disorders and cancer. (Source: EurekAlert! - Biology)Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - April 23, 2019 Category: Biology Source Type: news

Overlooked molecular machine in cell nucleus may hold key to treating aggressive leukemia(Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center) Many people fighting a very aggressive form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) don't survive more than five years. These very sick patients are often unable to receive the only cure -- a bone marrow transplant. Now, an international team of scientists report in Nature Cell Biology on a long-overlooked part of a leukemic cell's internal machinery, where they may have found a key to treating the aggressive blood cancer. (Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer)Source: EurekAlert! - Cancer - April 22, 2019 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: news

Potentially Disruptive Medtech Company Wins FDA Nod for HF TherapyOne of the 16 promising medtech companies in the private sector, as named in a Canaccord Genuity analyst report, earlier this year, has just received approval for its heart failure therapy. Impulse Dynamics noted it nabbed a nod from FDA for the Optimizer Smart System.
The Orangeburg, NY-based companyâs technology delivers Cardiac Contractility Modulation (CCM). Through CGM an electrical pulse is delivered during the absolute refractory period, which is just after heart contracts. In contrast to a pacemaker or defibrillator, CCM works by modulating the strength of the heart muscle contraction rather than ...Source: MDDI - March 23, 2019 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Omar Ford Tags: Cardiovascular Source Type: news